Lately I’ve been starting many projects. These include the Winter Stars project, the heart bellpull and two CyberPointers projects, the Stitchalong and the President’s Challenge.
And then there is my personal challenges:
- to use up at least one thread on every project (I’ve only missed two so far and those were Twinchies).
- to stitch projects using only threads from my stash.
Every time I start a project I go through the thread stash and this has gotten me thinking about threads. As I look I remember other projects using that thread and think about why I like it.
But I’d love to hear from you. What’s your favorite thread? Why? Is it the colors, the fiber, the texture, or the projects you have made that makes it your favorite?
My favorite thread is JL Walsh silk/wool. I first discovered it at an EGA meeting about threads more than 25 years ago. I loved the soft texture and the beautiful hand-dyed texture.
Since then I have used it often for many projects. It makes a great background thread. Unplied, it’s perfect for 13 or 14 mesh, but you can ply it down so it’s lovely on 18.
Leave a comment and let me know your favorite. All people commenting before Feb 20 will get a complementary design from me.
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
For canvas work I would have to go with Silk & Ivory. It is so soft and yet rich feeling. For Cross stitch (which I do a lot of) I use most ly DMC due to availability and Anchor which I really prefer. I also like the Sampler Threads hand dyed threads when I am in the mood to stitch one x at a time.
For so many years my favorite was Watercolours. I love all the color possibilites and the way I can just use certain color sections to change the overall look. BUT–I am loving using silks more and more and I am finding that Waterlillies and now Dinky Dyes silks and Silk n Colors allow me to use color my way and enjoy the feel of silk too. I guess I don’t really have ONE favorite. But, WOW, how lucky are we with all those threads out there!!!
A lot of what my favorite thread is, depends on what I’m stitching. But. If I were to be stranded on an island without only one type of thread and any canvases I wanted, I think I would pick the Vineyard Silk. I love the feel of it between my fingers and the lovely sheen it has. And it works well on 18hpi or 13/14 hpi canvas.
Vineyard Silk, Vineyard Silk, Vineyard Silk. The colors are vivid and amazing and I love the silkiness. In my opinion, it is the best there is. It’s not right for every project and I think it’s good to switch things up, but it is, by far, my favorite. Hands down. No joking.
I just finished a small christmas ornament with Waterlilies 032 Passion and I love it. It is the first time with Silk and I love how it feels and how the color turned out. Dmc is the cross stitch staple for me and I have also used Needle Necessities which I love the color changes.
There are so many lovely threads out there and so many I haven’t tried. But I most enjoy stitching with Caron’s Soie Crystale and Amy’s Burmilana running a close second. For me, color selection and ease of use have influenced my choices.
Gumnuts Yarns “Buds” — It’s subtle, and very easy to work with. My favorite for backgrounds.